The Sun. — London, England, 1826-05-18 00:00:00

tiles were brought to the. engine: then he attended to the driving of them. When Drury-lane Theatre was open, he 'went sway about four o'clock, and then Mr. Day himself was left to attend to the driving. He was employed at the build ing of Drnay-lane Theatre, and afterwards was appointed to a situation there. Mr. Day was clerk of the works there, and it was during the building of the theatre that he first became ac qinanted with him, Mr. Day was there employed under Mr. Wyatt. Mr. Day's orders to huh were, that the piles were to be • driven t.. 1 fax as they wotild go ; and if they did not bottom, or from any other cause Wontl not,goOte was tq go to him ; and he al waye did so.. Mr.T/ay'eVdos tp the men were, that they were to attend to him, and if tiatirdid not - they Would be turned away ; the, tarts were, never suderist to remove .the engine from any without his orders. 'PK Wittless in continuation, went to corro borate the y4'0;00 ones, Two tither Wittioies were then examined, but no t h in g material, was theiteds juin" Lash s-a-Three of the engines were what .'are called ringing enuetta the • *eight of them is pulled up by mem:, By the crab-engine, 'the weight goes up touch higher, and is more liable to split the et. Mr. Day selected the piles; he cut m the, and general ly a long tree made two piles. They were cut to lengths, according to the place they were to go to, by Mr. Day's orders ; he was at those piles that were under the Long Room. SometiMes there was a pile went on one side, which was cut off, and another driven by it; those piles were driven by the ringing engine, and were not hooped ; they were ordered to give 25 sir 30 blows, And if the pile did not go an inch, it waslo be considered us bottomed. Mr. Day marked the places where the piles were 'to yo ; the piles cut off helped to support the planking, but not the sleepers. Each engine hail a captain. Cross-examined by Mr. CLARK—IIe worked under his father. Mr. Peto had nobody there to ouperintend the work for him. Solomon fireball--He was a pile-driver, and bad been so for 18 years ; lie was at the Custom-house front first to last. His testimony went to confirm that of the other witnesses. James Oliver-ai was a general foremen employed by Mr. Pete ; 1 um now in business for myself; I heard Mr. Pete make objec tions to Mr. Day as to the mode of laying the foundation ; I fre quently heard Mr. Pete say to Mr. Day that the piling was inse cure, on account of the water not getting to it ; and that he ought to have examined what there was under. Mr. Day said there was no necessity to drive the piles further than he had di rected. Mr. Pete often referred to old piles that were found, and said, that if the beech piles were also under water in the same way, he hail no doubt but that they might last. He gave that as a reason that the excavation might be made deeper, so that the piles would be under the bed of the river ; water did conic to the piles during their driving. Mr. Pete said to Day, in my bear ing, that if the water was kept away the building could not be executed; he had not the least doubt, in his own mind, but the drying of the beech piles was sufficient to cause the falling of the Custom=house. Mr. Pete proposed York-landing, and inverted arches instead of piling, both to Mr. Laing and to Mr. Day ; Mr. Laing repeatedly objected to any further expeuce as to exca vation, And had no doubt the foundations were perfectly secure; there were a great number of footings narrowed, which Mr. P. objected' to, end said they ought rather to be extended ; he could not say 'that was done by the order of Mr. Laing ; some groins gave way on the basement in the King's cellar; Mr. Pete ascrib ed it to the foundation not being sufficient. Mr. Day said he bad consulted Mr. Lacing, who was of opinion that the founda tion was quite stitlicient. Mr. Veto wished to draw all the piles ; he well knew that Mr. Veto objected to the mode of trussing the girders of the floor; he never saw any plan or specification relat ing to the foundation ; he never saw a pile driven at which Day or Mullins was not present. When Mullins went to Drury-lane Theatre, Day superintended the work ; the quality of the timber was as fine as could be; he saw some of the spandrels filled in solid, by Mr. Dayai order, and attended particularly to that part of the work. The boards used on the roof were all marked by Mr. Day's own hand ; they were pitch boards about six or seven feet long. Cross-examined by the ATTORNET..GENERA 1...*.T110 boards were, in his opinion, perfectly sound. Mr. Veto throughout was of opinion that the foundation was unsound. Some of the piles were rotten when they were taken up; the sleepers were rotten, and some of the, planking. lieexamined.—He was by no , means surprised at what had taken place. He mentioned as much as nine years ago that in his oeiniou the building would nut stead for ten years. John laingley, examined by Mr. TIN DALL —He wits foreman 'ta Mt. Veto's carpenters ; he assisted Mr. Day to set out the huildana. , afterward , ' euperintentlea the interior of the build ing unair the direction of Mr. Day, from drawilige furnialied by ,Mr. telogas clerk. On several occasions he objected to follow the directions of Mr. Day, when that gentleman told 'tint lie bath only: to do as be was directed ,• he had inspected 'the boards that were on the roof of the building, And believed that they were sound. • Charles - Bowler, plasterer, was employed as foreman at the Cuataine, Asylum at Greenwich, Surgeon's-hall, and other large }millings, and the work was performed in the best manner by M. Veto. Ceo. Smart is a'civil engineer, who had been so employed 4.4 years. He very frequently looked over the Custom-house during the progress of the building, and after it was finished ; with regard to the brick and stone, he never saw any thing hotter performed. The carpenters' work was also very excellent,. And appeared more like a piece of joiner's work. Beech is employed irk piling when it is under water but when it is subject to be wet and dry, a rapid decay takes p lace. The piece I now pro duceal tut off as fine a tree as ever grew : about four years ago the tree wee four feet in diameter. The piece had been exposed to 'wet and Airy, Ind it was now complete touchwood. Beech vaiod is better if used as soon as cot down, and the piles are better wita the bark on. lie had seen the wharf wall, and was of opi nes;: that it prevented the water front flowing into the foundation, and injured the pile*. It was the duty of a builder to attend to the hittructions of the architect. Mr. Charles Fowler, an architect, had been in business seven or eight years. He assisted Mr. Laing when time Custom-house was building; be gave plans as the work went on, but not in any instance did he refer to the original plan. He took Mr. Laing's Enerarinatruetions ; designs were then draWn out and submitted far his approbation, anti then given to Mr. Day to carry into exe cuticula The original plans and specifications were not at all acted upon ; the floor of the lung-room bed sunk Rix or seven feet; Ito had examined the building in 1825, by direction of the commissionera. In leis opinion the cause of the giving way was the decay of the planking and sleepers. He had inspected the Whole , foundation, and there was a great DIME/ of old \r o, and old piles ; 4 there was no natural ground what ever ; the foundation was not placed on any natural ground. He thought decidedly that piling was not judicious ; , pit . ng was unnecessary if they had gone down to a natural bed; time Piling was jest completed when he entered into Mr. Laing's employ; two cross wells went along the long-room where little wetglit was carried, and smaller piles might do ; the work through out appeared to him to be of the best kind, both ai to the work and the materials; the planks and sleepers could not be always Under water. The wharf-wall is now a complete barrier to the admission of time water ; he found Day there as clerk of the works. It is the duty of the architect to ascertain the nature of the founda tion ; time plans and specifications are intended for the guidance of. the clerk of worki, and for the builder's use as well. Crow-examined by the ATTOILNEY-GENNUAL.---Fie was chiefly en:ploy:A in'the finishing; and according to the original plans, there were collars as now, and a row of warehouses, and a long Som. Therewere some subdivisions of rooms and windows in it ; but tae Main design was the same. From the manner of piling the building, it could scarcely he expected that it would . stand. He was not there at any part of the piling. If there was a constant arrest of water, the piles could not have been dry be tw,..ett the ebbing and flowing of the tide. Mr. Savage, Mn architect, attributed the sinking of the build ing to the decay of the sleepers and planking; they were evidently decomposed. (The witness underwent a laughable cross-examin, a tiOn by the Soujc roR-GCNttnAL respecting the decomposition of the planking and steenere.) Thomas Rosa, a timber-merchant, furnished part of the beech timber, and had furnished beech-timber since the building of the c aaaaa „. a .b o use, for Government writs at Sheerness. The beech piles for the Custom-house were from 9' to 12 inches diameter, with :the b ar k, if it was furnished within a month after it was cut. The quality w a s ee ry good, and proper for ,pilittg, as far , it hie opinion went. Nine inches .diameter is.meant at 6 feet from the but. It should be kept wetalecideally, oratwatdd very Nolte become, oaeeleas, tale. Allen, an architect. —Ile had inspected the Custemehouse 3 41311 t the time of its first aiihire, and afterwards when, t h e failiia d own was cleared. He hind the. opportunity of examining , aar a. Ihe was of opin i on that the failure ercesafrom the tie.' oulatly,• dthe (t _h.• p an sleepers , pr ogress •of ow l . "1" :1 ;, - d - , ' when beach was . not iiumersed in. water, and when it ;dip alteraetety wet sell ,dry.. On the sleepers be of , was aulale 44 - . idented ;on each sleeper he could a nnu l the toasty sate trace a ; generally he could trace that , the t : pilee •.supportstd. the eleepers. (The wittuc i ss produce. a piece o a skeper, sad of a He was of opinion that a piece of }mile, in a moat decayea state). w a di _timber, placed as the beech was at the. Custom-house, would, in & few years be reduced to the state of the two pieces prodOced. g to connect the piles toge- The use of the sleepers and p ther. The ground was m - m k t l u l I I! fi n to a s drive a pile at all. From the drawing, he should take it for granted that the bed of the gravel was ascertained, that the piket would be embedded two feet in the gravel, and the whole length of the - pile would be seven feet six . tneltee. From another drawing` shown him, the piles ap peered. 'to be eight feet, Cross-examiried by the Agroxviter-Gointat..—The piles in the hall, bethought were a very unfair specimen of the piles used in the building. - Re-examined.--He thought the piles in the ball were the very Worst, both as to length, size, and crookedness.; be did not see one short pile that had been driven, but there was a reason for its being so ; the ground was very much ineumbered with the old building ; he did not think that oue pile in four coal,' have gone into the gravel; the sketches of the piles produced be to at the time, and made a plan of tbe whole foundation. • A witness was examined who had meaeured the timber that was bought in Oxfordshire, as well ::s that bought in Surrey, who spoke to the quantity and the quality ; it was very good timber ; the timber from Oxfordshire was much larger than that which was bought in Surrey. Mr. ScaiLerr called for a number of letters and other docu mentary evidence, some of which was p roduced ; and it was stated, that a number of the papers that referred to the building of the Custom-house had been destroyed. • One of the letters was instructions from Mr. Laing, the archi tect, to drive, in a particular part of the building, oak piles, in stead of beech, and plunks ti Males thick, instead of 3 inches. Mr. Scatterer— . That is my case." , It was then 6 o'clock. The Cuter Mem; said, if Mr. Attor e ney-General wished it, fled the Gentlemen of the Jury were agreeable to it, he would go on. Both assenting— The ATM N EY- G Kti t;11. rose. / se 1, ome endeavour to de ntin them but a very short time wAi - the observations he was about to make : be would only endeavniti to put the question li,r their decision in its proper point of view. - The question was of public importance, but to the individual who was the defendant most important. In his seat in the House of Comthons, his Learn ed Friend, Mr. Scarlett, had remarked that a complaint had been made of the insufficient way that the Custom-house had been built, and it had also been said that the Govermuent had protected a favourite, who had been appointed the architect, - had let him escape altogether, and fixed upon the defendant for a sacrifice, for the neglects and gross errors that had been com mitted. lie would repel that charge by saying, that at the same time proceedings had been ordered to be taken against the defendant, proceedings were ordered to be commenced against the surveyor, Mr. Laing, for his great neglect and misconduct while acting in that capacity, and for which neglect in the su perintendenm of the building of the Custom-hawse, he would shortly have to answer before a jury of his c ountrymen, who would have to say whether he had not been negligent in the con striction of the building. It was upon his recommendation that the proceedings that ha d taken place were commenced, hut not until after he had all the documents laid before him. This build ing, which was to he reared at a great expense, at a cost of not less a sum than 300,0001., had scarcely been iiniehed, had been but a short time occupied, betbre it was discovered that it was de fective, and that in the Most essential part, the foundation, and it very soon fell to the ground. lie felt it his duty to take the opi nion of a most eminent architect, who at once stated that there could not be a doubt but that the cause was from a defect in the foundation. Having thus done, could it be charged against him that he had in any manlier acted unfiiirly to Mr. Pete in giving his advice that pmeedingsehould be commenced against him, and the only course that appeared to him to lie correct was to proceed upon the security that Mr. Peto had given, namely, the bond ? and upon that proceedings had been taken, in order that the whole .of the great loss incurred might not full upon the public. The terms of the contract should not be lost sight of. It was a con tract to do certain works particularly specified, and that in a substantial and Workmanlike manner; which he contracted to do, and upon the terms therein stated, for the sum of 165,0001. A part of that work,, and a most -material one, was the formation of such a foundation as would carry the superstructure, and that foundation was to be formed by piles of timber agreeable to a specification handed to the defendant, and upon the terms which had been agreed upon. What was the duty of Mr. Peto—was it not that he should see the work properly done? If Mr. Laing interfered, and thatimproperly, did not Mr. Peto know that be had not contracted With Mr. Laing? On the contrary, he was fully aware that the contract was entered into with the Commis sioners of the Cnstome, and not with their surveyor, Mr, Laing; and if lie interfered, or proceeded in such a manner that the building was likely to be rendered insecure and unsafe, to them should he have applied. The building of the Custom-house was completed, but very soon was it found to be most unsafe, and that the work bail been done at a much lower ...rate than it could have been done bad the terms of the specification been adhered to. Ile had no hesitation in admitting that Mr. Laing was the architect employed, but it was a very important ques tion for the Jury to decide, whether in that capacity he was clothed with such power and authority as the defend ant would ascribe to him, and by which the public had sus tabled so great en injury. If the defendant knew that the piles were so insufficient, he should have informed the Commis sioners of the Costello, end have consulted with them, and not have persevered in a course by which he knew the building would be eventually destroyed. For the piling, Mr. Peto had received no less a sum than 24,8001. double the amount he was to receive under the contract ; and a further charge had been made for the filling up the spandrels of the arches, at a rate that was equal to solid brick-work, whereas they were filled up with rubbish. After sense further remarks, be said that he had no wish to press hard upon the defendant : lie was-only it servant of the public, and in making the remarks he bad in the course of the trial, he only endeavoured to exercise'the duty that devolved on him. Which ever way the Jury gave their verdict, he should feel that they had conscientiously acted to the parties and to the country. The Cater Banos charged the Jury, that the terms of the contract were well known to the defendant; the great question for them to decide was, whether he was justified in departing from the contract as he had done. He *as of opinion that there was not the slightest evidence of collusion between Mr. Peto and Mr. Laing, but the defendant should have applied to the commis sioners, if he had acted with prudence. The case. was in the hands of the Jury; they would satisfy their minds, and return a verdict accordingly. At Q 5 minutes before seven o'clock the Jury retired, and at ten O'clock returned the following verdicts on each issue, eleven in number :- Ist. That there was a bed of bard gravel, and into which the piles could have been driven : upon which they returned a verdict for the Crown, but expressed their opinion that the piles would have been forced into it but fur the interference of the surveyor, or the clerk of the works. 2d Issue was, that Mr. Laing was appointed surveyor of build ings; but not for the Casten-house. Upon . this the Jury found that he was authorized by the Commissionera to superintend the building of the Costom-bouse. hid. That Mr. Laing, or the clerk of the works, had no power to give directions respecting the piling, &c. The Jury found that Mr. Laing had such authority. 4th. That the defendant dui not pile according to the directions of Mr. Laing e —The Jury returned, that he did pile according to Mr. Laing's desire. sth. Was somewhat varied from the last, upon which the Jury found for the defendant. • 6th. That Mr. Laing nor Mr. Day bad authority to give di rections to fill up the spandrels of the arches, or to select wood • far the roof of the Custom-house. The Jury found that they had. '7th. Whether there Nt'aßriny collusion betweeen Mr. Laing and Mr. Pens. The Jury found that there was neither fraud nor col. • 6th. That Mr. Laing nor Mr. Day had authority to give orders to•deviate from' the original plan with respect to the spandrels of the arches. The Jury found that they had. • - • 9th. That the work was not done according to drawings fur, aished during the progress of the work.--The Jury found that it was. 10th. That in all the work, the orders given to deviate in the plans and designs were not well perfortned.—The Jury returned that they were. 11th. That the works were not done to the approbation of Mr. Laing.—The Jury found that they were. DENMARK V. TOWNSEND, This was an action brought by the plaintiff; a poor man, and advanced in years; to recover compensation in damages for an in jury he sustained in consequence of the defendant's cart being furiously driven against him. The facts of the case were these :—ln the month of June, 1825, C. KinOton, the defendant's servant, was driving his master's cart through Davies-street, Brook-street, at a furious rate, which was described to be at the rate of nine miles an hour ; the plain , tiff W,lB in the act of' crossing, when the off-shaft struck him in the back, and threw him into. the kennel; the driver, with ordi nary care, might have seen the. plaintiff, and avoided the accident ; the defendant's- servant immediately pulled upP when it was as certained that the plaintiff had received • a serious injury, two of his ribs having been broken by the shaft, which struck him violently. -_ Medical Rid was procured, and the plaintiff' was for twelve wealth under the hands of a' surgeon.: The whole transaction was entirely att r ib uta bl e tothe negligence of the defendant's servant. The plaintiff was obliged to have recourse to the present action, as the defendant refused to make a suitable compensation for the injury he had sustained. These facts were fully proved in evidence. • Fur .the defence, evidence was called to show - that the plaintiff might have avoided the accident if be had taken proper care in mining the street, and had stopped when he saw the cart so close to him ; and that the defendant's servant was not in fault, and was only driving at the rate of hiX miles and a half an hour. Mr. Justice GasetAE.stuurned up the case, and left it to the Jury to determine on which side the weight of evidence pre ponderated. The Jury found fur the plaintiff—Damages 50/. and costs 403. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE, OF cOMMONS,_('rws DAy.) NOl ICES OF 3101'10,43. 1. Dr. I,ushington-31otion relative to the Free Ptople of Co. lour in the West tritlie!e 2. Mr. llobhouse—Bill for the better security of Literary Pro- perty• 3.'i1l r. Edmond Wodebouse—Address ran ive to the communi cations that have been received front his Alajesty's Coi:sula ' abroad, on the subject of the prices of Foreign Corn. 4. Mr. Attorney-General—Bill founded upon the Report of the- Coannissionets 'appointed to inquire into the Practice of the Court of Chancery. 5. r. John Williams—To refer Report of the Chancery Com mistions to a Committee of this Rouse. F. Mr. ;Martin (of Galway) —To move, that this House will, early in the next Session of Parliament, take into its con sideration how far it may be practicable to afford to the brute creation -the protection of haw, without divesting man of that controul over, and disposal of creatures , whi c h a wise Providence entrusted to hint for f is use and benefit ; but which trust was to be eNereised with a due regard to reason, justice, and conscience. 7..;k1r. William Smith—To present Petition front r rote-tunt Dissenter.. It Mr. Char l e t llur of the Exclicquer—Usual Sessional dresses. _ _ ------- ottiqms Ok"ritt: trtY. I. Bankers (Scotland) Bill— Third readhig. 2. Alehouses Licensing Bill—Third rending. a. Importation of Coro Bill—Third tending. 4. Warehoused torn reading. 5. \Vtittinitistcr improvement Bill _-Committee. 6. 1 1 :irochial Clergy Residence Bill—lteport. 7. t 'wet Canada Election !till—Second reading. FOTICE GtVI YESTERDAY. 41fonday, May 4 22. ,orri Nugent—To present Petition relating to the right o voting in the Borough of Banbury. The Lottery now on Sale is the Last that will ever be allowed in this Kingdom. The price of Tickets and Shares will rise in a fetv days. There are Six of 330,000. All to be drawn in One Day• PRICKS OP STOCKS TIII Bank Stock 201 200 1 3 per Cent. Red 77 3 per Cent. Cons. 34 per Cent. Ditto Red 4 per Cent. New Ditto Scrip pm. Bank Long Ann. 18 11_Itt iillllll India Stock — Ditto Bonds 9 10 pm. PRICES OF FOREIGN" Pi Austrian Bonds, 5 per cent Rinillan Bonds — Buenos Ayres Bonds Milian Bonds, 6 per cent. — Colombian Bonds — Ditto, 1821 42 IA Danish, a per cent. 53% 4 liii Greek Bonds — Ditto, 1826 l5 Ouatimala — Mexican Bonds Ditto, 1825 CPA; % Ti DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. South Sea Stock Old Annuities New Ditto Ex. Bills, .£l,OOO 'M. 0 10 pm. Ditto 5OO Yd. 0 10 pm. Ditto Small Ditto Advertised Bank for Account India for Account Cons. for Aeconnt 7Stri 'NDS ATONE O'CLOCK Neapolitan, IR2I Peruvian Bolt & — Portuguese Bolick Prussian, 5 per cent. Ditto, New 9 11 4 Bi Russian, New, A per cent. .al Spanish, 1821, 5 per cent. 7% 1823 French Renter, 5 p. a...... DOE 50c, ----- Exchange 2SE Mk. —l3 per cent. ---- Exchange —I —c, PRICES OF SHARES AT ONE O'CLOCg. Paid. Per Share. Anglo Mexican Mining Company £so No United Mexican Mining Company 0 tl) Alliance Fire and Life Insurance Company 10 ',., j Protector Fire Insurance Company 2 Continental Gas Company 4 I Canal thick:twine Company 1 'West India Company . 5 . 2!:, :el ILS. Air,,(l Due. I Dublin I Waterfonl 0 I Guernsey,* Jersey, 0 U Lisbon 1 0 Gottenburgh 2 1 Hamburgh 0 Holland 0 1 France Arrived. Due, 0 Flanders 0 0 Jamaica 0 0 Leeward islands 0 Malta 0 0 America 1 0 Brasil 1 0 Buenos Ayres HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO-MORROW: Morning 0 minutes after 0. I Evening ......• ' 0 minutes after 0, .:--v") , itn. LONDON, rliu.liSi)4. V .EVENING, MAY 18, 1826, The Etoile of the 16th instant reached us last nig It contains an article dated Constantinople, 20th of April, asserting distinctly that the Porte has re jected the proposals of Mr. STRATFORD CANNING in favour of the Greeks; and has also refused to agree to any concessions as to the Russian ultimatum. The same paper contains a further article from Constanti nople, under date of the 22d of April, which states that the REts EFFENDI has given to M. MIN ZIACKY the following decliration That the Porte could not make any answer before it had consulted its Allies respecting the important demand of Russia." The article in question goes on to remark, that every body asks who these Allies may be, since there is no knowledge of any Christian Power being bound to the Porte by an offensive and defensive alliance ; and that the conduct of the Porte is considered as evasive, and merely calculated to gain time. if the answer here stated has actually been given to M. MINZIACKY, it is probable that a very short time only will elapse, before the result of the deliberations of the Court of St. Petersburgh upon this subject will be manifested by the movements of the Russian army. The policy of Russia, which has been so long and so steadily directed towards the accomplishment of its views with regard to. Turkey, the present state of its army, and the circumstances which led to the abdica tion of the Throne by CONSTANTINE, coupled with his recent appointment of Generalissimo of the whole army of the Empire, conspire to lead us to the conclu sion that the Russian Cabinet will eagerly seize the opportunity, which an evasive answer from the Porte will afford, of settling by force the question which sword m has so lung been th e subject of negociation ; and if the drawn by Russia a g a inst the Turkf, we er be once uch question whether it will be sheathed until the banners of the CZAR float on the towers of Constantinople. We, however, form the opinion of the probability of hostilities between these nations, by reasoning on the general principles we have stated, not from any such knowledge of the secrets of the Russian Cabinet, as our better informed contemporary, the Times, asserts possesses. Both Houses of Parliament met last night. No- thing of importance occurred in the Lords. In the House of Commons the Report of the Com mittee on the Foreign ( Corn Importation Bill was brought up, and the Bill ordered to be read a third time to-night. Sir THOMAS LETHBRIDGE, in a very manly and proper manner, declared that after the large, respect able, and powerful majority, with which this measure had passed through former stages, . and the sfrong support it had received in another place, any further opposition would be only vexatious, and that he would not resort to such a course. I-le also would not urge Ministers to give any further pledge that the present measure should not prejudge the general question of the Corn Laws ; and would only protest against the amount of duty now imposed being urged as a prece dent hereafter. • On the bringing up of the Report of the Ware housed Corn Bill, Sir R. HERON made some obser vations, which he concluded by a remark, evidently pointed at Mr. HUSKISSON, that the great portion of the Holders of Bonded Corn, who would be princi pally benefited by this Bill, resided at Liverpool. Mr. HUSKISSON feeling that the remark applied to him, as Member for Liverpool, very properly retorted, by stating that he might as reasonably charge the HonOurable Baronet with opposition to the measure, from selfish and interested motives, as possessing himself, and re presenting very extensive agricultural interests. On this subject, we must observe that it appears to us that the practice which some Honourable Members have resorted to, of accusing the Members of his MAJESTY'S Government of being influenced in their high and arduous duties by the petty considerations which have been attributed to them, ought to be re probated by every well-judging person on both sides of the House. Such charges, when made with re ference to their conduct on questions of the magni tude of that which elicited from Sir ROBERT HERON his illiberal insinuation, must proceed from the grossest ignorance ; for if it were possible to suppose that a man filling the important Station of President of the Board of Trade, could allow his opi nions and duty as a Statesman to be warped by con siderations of favour for a particular class of his Con stituents, with the latent object of serving his own in terests, still such baseness could not produce any effect, as no question of State Policy, such as the Importation of Foreign Corn, can be brought forward without the deliberate consideration and discussion of the whole of the Cabinet. It,is not the voice, nor the secret motives of one Member, which could pre vail over the judgment of a Council, composed of a number of able and disinterested Statesmen. The charge, therefore, is in itself ridiculous and con temptible, I;ut it is mischievous in the extreme, by the effect it has upon the ignorant and the vulgar; and it is much to be regretted, that Sir R. HERON should have condescended to join in so low a description of attack upon any one of His Majesty's Ministers, at the present moment, when any insinuation of the interested motives of others comes with a very bad grace from a Representative of the Landed Interest. By an Account published this day, by Order of the House of Commons, of the Quantity of Foreign Grain remaining in warehouse at the different Ports of Great Britain, on the Ist May instant, it appears that the total quantities of each sort of Grain are as follows : Quarters. 20,919 12,042 227,600 2,405 4,288 270,688 Barley Beansse Wheat Grand Total . 547,018 Besides which, there are 69,726 Quarters of Wheat, Meal, and Flour, being equal to 19,921 Quarters of Wheat, and a small quantity of Oatmeal. In another part of our Paper, our Readers will see the report of the proceedings upon the important trial, of the King v. Henry Peto, and we are happy to add, that whilst it imposes a charge of very gross and cul pable neglect on certain Agents of the Government, it clears the character of the above defendant, and saves him from an imputation of fraud. The simple charge against Mr. PETO was, that he had not completed the work according to the terms of his contract, and he, whilst he admits the truth of this allegation, answers by saying, that he performed it according to the direc tion, and under the superintendance ofthe Agents of the parties with whom he had contracted. The truth of this answer the Jury have found, and they found also that the work was not performed according to the terms of his contract. The trial thus terminates in a point of law, viz. whether the direction of the agent of the parties contracted with can be allowed to supersede the terms of a written contract, so as to save t he contractor from all liability to his em pTlohye e gnd r srliand o p e rate so as entirely to rescind the same. fault of the building was in the foundation. Th e superstructure raised upon that foundation seems to have given satisfaction for the most part, except, in deed, in certain instances, and it is in these instances that we think Mr. PETO is to blame. According to the specification of the work, and according to the charges made against the Government in Mr. PETo'S bill, the spandrels of certain arches were to have been filled up with solid brick-work. But Mr. PETO here de viated from his written directions, and filled up these spandrels with rubbish grouted, and poured in liquid matter instead. It is true this departure from the terms of the contract was made under the instruc tions of Mr. DAY, an employer of Mr. LAING, the architect, and agent of the Commissioners of the Cus toms. But then we ask Mr. PETO wlrr, having this departure sanctioned by the authority of Mr:, DAY, did he charge as for arches filled ie . , with solid brick-work, and receive the amount,. for the same. In this instance Mr. PETO was to blame ; but as he happens in other respects to have acted with good faith, we are loath to believe that this charge originated in design more than in mis tike. The ground on which this Custom-house was built was originally apart of the bed ofth e River Thames; but to get at it was a work of sonic difficulty, seeing that it was covered, for 12 feet deep, with a loose marshy soil, no way calculated to sustain the immense weight which it was in contemplation to erect upon it. • It became necessary, therefore, to make a good foundation, either by digging out the marshy soil, and • setting the foundation at once upon the gravel, or by driving piles two feet into the gravel. The Wter mode, in a fit of economy, was unluckily chosen, although at the same time it must be added, that had the ground been properly piled, it would have made a foundation equally as good and substantial as the very , gravel itself. As these piles were to go two feet into the gravel, it was necessary that they should be 1' feet long each; and as the object of driving them %Cd to raise the building on them rather than the marshy soil, it eras necessary that when driven they should be level, and be connected the one with the other by sleepers, or joists, laid from the top of one to the top of the other, and so to form a strong and compact piece of wood-work ; the inter- stices of which being filled with the marshysoil, would give it additional strength to resist the immense pres sure that was laid upon it. The high importance of this part of the work may from this be easily con ceived, and Mr. PETO appears to have been • ous that it should have been well performed, and for that reason desired and obtained an agent. nominated by Mr. LAING or his servants, but pa i d h Y . Mr. PET°. In order to superintend the work, one Mr. MULLENS accordingly attended, and, under his and Mr. DAY'S joint observation, the pil in g was done,but so ineffectually that when the building subsequent ly fell in, it was discovered that not one - p il e ever reached the gravel ; that the surface wh ere the piles were driven, was not level ; that th e re q uisite number of piles was not driven, and that they were for the most part of beech wood, which it ap ,ocid if pears is apt to rot sooner than - ally other vi , . t not continually under water. In driving these piles ' the was not unfrequently found, that it drove against old foundation of some foimer building, ana it appears that in these cases th e pile 'was • cut it. he off and another drove along side of pherotie upshot of the business was,. that the p worm c warnings of some of the leaders of the ilding would who drove the piles, viz. that t he bu fell to not stand tell years, was verified, for st o f 1113 before the month was out. Th e estimated co d 12 0001; building was to have been 165,0001.,, an an more for piling. The charge since* was 370,000 i. .1 was 24,0001. for piling. The sum actually po lre 324,0001., and yet Mr. PETO affirms that would have been a loser , had the vo° t of N il. ' 894,0001. been paid him. On the conduc ,s b e cause LAING, architect, we forbear to remark, he about to be put upon his trial. Certain t i u sli t; that the public have sustained a very gm! heavy loss by the negligence or incapacity,,ot suarin of its Agents. In hunting after economy, as. is us d we tht .ll k such cases, expence only has been fo und, an d which here is a good practical lesson of the misc hief de ,, results from deviating from the first 0rig in .. 1 ,,,, sign. Will it be believed that it was in upon this trial, that in no one single instance wss; uo, original plan followed ? We a c q uit the . oot vernment of all blame herein —they could trot. do more than select what they c onsidered, the worthy and sufficient agents to sup erinten d d 've' work, and it is in this they have been deal were Having discovered the fault, they hav©, as aim t h e bound to do, instituted legal procedings ag s ' n w be , defaulting parties ; and the result of t he y' is t" ) ol d v fore the Public. What has hitherto trans pi re t,oid 0/f tends to shew the vigilance of the Government its 1 „ the Commissioners of the Customs, and confirms. th is the opinion we had previously entertain ed, that t`tl'v as in other matters, all had been done by the ldoii could by good and faithful servants h oldin g the `" nistration of this Empire. t We received Hamburgh Papers this morning'ie their contents furnish little matter.for reogiric•,:vered Crown . Princess of SWeden has bee n safely de" of a Prince, to the great joy of thei r Majestie s ' g c To-day, after two o'clock, her Royall lE'i;hwnl'etzd; this for• Princess was happily delivered of a Prince. M gg'" Oc soi' tents event was known, the since rest j o y was every v—r,o, fisted. Their 'Majesties the Ki n g and Queen, with the r e rn Prince, and a numerous suite , went to the Cathedral, to young. thanks thanks to Heaven for hav in g g ranted their wishes. T be Y . he ce Prin will be baptized on the 11th of this month , Ao6'l' L oi - 0 1 of Anniversary ofhis Majesty's Coronation, and t ie`tbe ° be Charles Louis Eugene. Her Royal Highness is e an sA! . ;- 0. tb, The day before yesterday, there were thanksgivings .- , Ai i, In churches , which were crowded, for the happy delivery of tttrow---0, the Cathedral, where their Majesties and the Crown rrii'rli tended, im service was performed by Dr. Hedren, the princiP al `'.„ -li t i:e to the Court, alter which re Deem was perfornol. 'l:rith evening the national hymn was sung twice in the 01 14 the greatest enthu.siasm. s:v° g ' a '` m° . On the 15th of last month, t he English brig Ji' 101 l ( 1 wrecked on the coast of S cania. • Our Journals now cont ain an appeal to the publi cin be the Greeks. wished. nzatergt —lt ti .lug Their Royal Higlineases, Prince William of Privisia